Process & Development

Have you ever wondered how long it takes to draw a hat, and how many people are involved in this work?

For the development of the Ecuadorian hat Montecristi, world misnamed Panama Hat, it requires some time for its construction and design, usually ranging from two weeks to six months in some cases up to a year, patience and love play a role very important in this art.

 

Can you imagine doing work by hand for a long time?

Expectations are amazing, at the time of starting a hat think of many things, the principal, improve every day your tissue in doing even this means that all fence at the same rate and especially find the best fibers toquilla ranging make one of the main strategic allies as long as necessary.

So few people can intervene in a hat toquilla? 

In this long process full of intrigue and knowledge involved three people.

first Collects the raw material in the humid jungle mountains to make them toquilla, is the specialist people to seek and take the best fiber of this palm, scientifically called Carludovica Palmata.

Second The artisan of tissue makes his appearance with new companions, the tripo is the stick, support for support in the process, additional a last raft, smoked to protect the chest, leather strip to hold the hat and finally a matiancho is the container with water to cool the fiber at certain times that required.

The skilled professional weaver and choose the best fibers mallet straw begins assembling this art with eight pairs of toquilla, known as the template, then performed the cup and finally the wing or width of the hat.

Third, is the professional who makes half of the missing process, he gets his hat in long straw in his establishment, his work is not easy, can be the most dangerous step in the process, be very careful is a fundamental part later you explain why.

Note: It is imperative that hat, that in some countries they call Chapeau straw toquilla Draw up in a cool, shady and mostly during the early morning hours, morning and night, otherwise, the toquilla could dry out and even break the fabric hat is for this reason that we have a lot of patience in its preparation.

A being a colonial tradition, this process has been passed from generation to generation, which in one form or another has meant a cultural emblem of families in Ecuador.

Then we will all complete illustration of this adventure called “Process of making straw hat toquilla best known and famous in the world as Panama Hats”